Texas – Texas Sen. Ted Cruz called a North Carolina Democratic legislative candidate’s reported social media post “sick,” “deranged” and “eviI” after she appeared to suggest that supporters of President Donald Trump belonged in a concentration camp.
“This is sick. …and deranged. …and evil. Will even a single Democrat find the courage to call out this angry, bigoted call to violence?” Cruz said in a Sept. 12 post, sharing a post from legal scholar Jonathan Turley about North Carolina Democratic candidate Shelly Headen.
Turley had highlighted a Facebook post attributed to Headen, a Democratic candidate for the North Carolina House, in which she appeared to reference the Dachau concentration camp in Germany and wrote that the location was “where Trump supporters belong.”
The controversy has prompted North Carolina Democrats to withdraw support from Headen, who is running against Republican incumbent John Blust in House District 62 in Guilford County.
The Assembly reported that the state Democratic Party and House Democratic Caucus moved to distance themselves from Headen after a series of inflammatory social media posts resurfaced. The publication reported that the House Democratic Caucus said it would no longer support her candidacy.
According to The Assembly, Headen acknowledged having made several anti-Trump posts but said she did not remember the specific language used in the posts that had resurfaced. She said she had paid $30,000 for a consulting firm to review her social media accounts for potential problems.
The Assembly also reported that Headen had previously posted other controversial comments, including a 2024 statement saying she was “Ready for the MAGAs to die off!!” The publication said she also made a Facebook comment suggesting that an attack on U.S. soil should target Alabama or Louisiana, which she described as states where “the stupid people live.”
The latest controversy centers on a photograph and caption from Headen’s visit to Dachau, the former Nazi concentration camp in Germany. The post, as reported by multiple outlets, showed Headen smiling in front of the camp’s crematorium ovens alongside a caption saying, “Visiting Dauchau [sic] Concentration Camp in Germany… This is where Trump supporters belong.”
The Assembly reported that the North Carolina House Democratic Caucus condemned Headen’s social media comments without qualification and said the posts were unacceptable and did not reflect the values expected of its candidates. The caucus said it would not support her candidacy.
WFDD separately reported that the Guilford County Democratic Party was withdrawing its support for Headen after the resurfaced posts. Party officials said they “unequivocally reject and condemn” the comments and said they violated what the party represents.
Headed told WFDD that she did not remember making the posts but apologized to people who were hurt by them. She also said she understood the party’s decision to withdraw its support.
“I think they’re doing what’s best for the party, and that’s what they should do,” Headen told WFDD. She also said she had received death threats after the posts resurfaced.
Despite the Democratic Party withdrawing its support, Headen is expected to remain on the ballot. WFDD reported that ballots had already been sent to voters, making it too late for her to withdraw or for Democrats to replace her as their nominee. She will remain on the ballot against Republican incumbent John Blust.
The controversy comes in a competitive North Carolina legislative district. The Assembly reported that Blust won reelection in 2024 by fewer than seven percentage points and that Republicans are closely watching the contest as Democrats seek to make gains in the state House.
Cruz’s response adds a national political figure to the controversy, with the Texas senator specifically questioning whether Democratic officials will publicly condemn what he described as an “angry, bigoted call to violence.”
The episode has also intensified scrutiny of Headen’s previous social media activity as Republicans and Democrats respond to the resurfaced posts. While Democratic officials have publicly withdrawn support, Headen has said she intends to continue her campaign.
The Assembly reported that Headen said she would continue running despite the party’s decision, framing the controversy as a consequence of what she described as her outspoken opposition to Trump and his supporters.
The dispute now leaves Headen continuing her campaign without the formal support of the Democratic Party, while Cruz and other Republicans use the controversy to question Democratic candidates’ rhetoric toward Trump supporters ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
